What to expect of Cats

Cats are nocturnal so you should expect a lot of running around at night and tons of sleeping during the day. They are independent and seem to think they let you live with them. Each cat has a personality and it is very individual. Cats can be very playful. They may accidentally scratch or bite while playing with you. That is something to get use to because it will happen all the time.

Cats depending on breed have different personality traits as a result you may find that your cat loves people, tolerates people, or is extremely shy around people. If your cat is extremely shy you may find that they run and hide when unfamiliar humans are around. You can help your cat by putting them in an enclosed area until these unfamiliar humans are gone.

Cats do not get lonely like a dog might. So if you do want to have multiple cats you should try to get them as kittens together. It may be hard to get an adult cat to accept another adult cat. Introducing a kitten would be easier then trying to introduce an older cat.

Cats always land on their feet (even if falling upside down).

Cats can smell 30 times greater than humans (no wonder Patches knows when I have ice cream).

Cats are lactose intolerant (milk can give them diarrhea).

Cats are similar to Camels and Giraffes
Other animals walk in this manner, each front leg moves with the opposite back leg. For the cat, camel, and giraffe the front leg moves with the back leg on the same side.

Cats eyes help them to see six times better at night than humans.

Cats front paws have 5 toes and the back paws have 4 toes (This is true for most cats but there can be some with 6 or 7 toes).

Cats use their tail for balance.

Cats rub their necks/cheeks on humans and objects in order to leave their scent.

For cats to purr they vibrate extra tissue in their larynx/voice box.

Cats only purr in the presence of a human, never when alone.

Cats whiskers are sensory organs that tell them how close objects are.

Kneading or pawing is when a cat lifts their paws up & down in one place. As kittens they would do this on mother's belly to help milk flow. When they do this it means they are very happy.

Cats have the ability to rotate each ear independently, allowing them to hear noises from two directions at once.

To show affection your cat may lightly nip you on the nose.

* If you have any Cat Facts that you would like to share please contact me by clicking the Contact link in the menu above.

Scratching on the floor or the furniture can be a problem with cats but there are ways to train your cat to use a scratch post. It is easier to train them as kittens so that they get use to the behavior. The key is reinforcement. When you catch kitty scratching in the wrong area you should tell your cat firmly "No" and then take your cat to the scratch post. Also, it helps if you gently take their paws and make the scratching motion on the post. From my experience this has worked with my cats and they may sometimes still scratch in the wrong place but I just reinforce as before and they mostly use the post. It is common to have to replace the scratch post after a while because they will tear it up but its cheaper then replacing the carpet or the couch.

Learning to use the litter box should not be very hard but sometimes there can be problems. Kittens in a new environment may not be able to find the litter box because they have not learned the lay of the land yet. My cat Patches when she was a kitten would go to the nearest wall and mew trying to warn me. Eventually I picked up on the behavior and would show her the litter box before an accident occurred but she got the lay of the land soon enough. Other problems may be that your cat does not cover what is left behind. Unfortunately, this is not something a human can teach a cat to do. My male cat Lucky did this at first when he was a kitten but he learned from Patches to cover it up. In cases that your cat does not cover it up, the best thing to do would be to clean the litter box often. Tracking litter on the floor will always happen but you can limit this by using different types of litter such as clumping litter. And get a litter mat to put in front of the litter box.

Hairballs are a common issue for cats and especially for medium to long hair cats. Cats constantly clean their own fur with their tongue which causes them to sallow hair in the process. Eventually the hair will collect getting stuck and cats try to expel the hair by coughing it up. I have found hairball treats to be very beneficial for my cats. It helps their digestive system by keeping the hair from getting stuck. Another method to try is to grow cat grass for your cats. Most cats love it and it helps them to minimize hairballs. Routine brushing definitely helps as well.

When to get kittens fixed is a good question. Kittens can reach puberty by six months of age. So you should talk to your veterinarian or animal care & control facility about spaying or neutering your kitten around 4 to 5 months of age.